Seven ships of the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
have borne the name HMS ''Britomart'', after the
Britomartis
Britomartis (;) was a Greek goddess of mountains, nets, and hunting who was primarily worshipped on the island of Crete. She was sometimes described as a nymph, but she was more commonly conflated or syncretized with the goddesses Artemis, Athena ...
of
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...
:
* HMS ''Britomart'' was a 16-gun
brig-sloop captured from the Danes in 1807 and commissioned as . She was renamed HMS ''Britomart'' in 1808, but the name change was rescinded before she wrecked in 1809.
* was a 10-gun launched in 1808. She participated in the capture of several small privateers and merchant vessels. She was also at the
bombardment of Algiers (1816). The Navy sold ''Britomart'' in 1819. She then entered mercantile service. She sailed to South America,
Van Diemen's Land (now
Tasmania
Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...
), and the Indian Ocean. She spent much of her time sailing between England, Van Diemen's Land and the Australian mainland. She foundered in 1839 on her way between Port Phillip and Hobart.
* was another 10-gun ''Cherokee''-class brig-sloop, launched in 1820 and sold in 1843. Captain
William Hobson, of ''Britomart'', asserted British sovereignty over New Zealand in 1840
* was an 8-gun
brig
A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the l ...
launched in 1847. She was used as a
coastguard vessel from 1857 and was renamed ''WV25'' in 1863. She was broken up by 1874.
* was a wood screw launched in 1860. She was sold in 1892, and then resold as a mooring hulk, being broken up in 1946.
* was a launched in 1899 and sold in 1920 into civilian service, being renamed ''Sakuntala''.
* was a launched in 1938 and sunk in 1944.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Britomart, Hms
Royal Navy ship names